Mardi Gras weekend 2013- Saturday and Sunday

So, I didn't get out at all on Friday, suffering from the cumulative hangover from Wednesday and Thursday nights' parades. However, we did get out to see the Saturday daytime parades Uptown as well as a fair amount of Endymion (and, in between, ate lots and lots of king cake.)  Will be posting Lundi and Mardi Gras pics soon.

The Krewe of Iris did Louisiana festivals as their theme. Delicious!

LA Strawberry Festival, and I think that's my greedy little hand in the air there!

White Linen Night float...

Mr. Bingle was on a "Christmas Festival" float, although there is technically no such thing.
There was much discussion of this, actually.

Awesome oyster beads from the Oyster Festival float.

Weird but highly awesome giant homemade monster walking krewe between Irish and Tucks

More awesomely weird handmade monsters

TINY LITTLE TINY PONY! 

Star Wars walking krewe

I... don't even know.

Cool animal bicycle things

This band from Sweden was in like almost every parade I saw! They were super awesome.

Krewe of Tucks motto

Funky Tucks float, with go-go cage dancers

The Muff-a-Lottas dance group

Tucks toilet paper

New "walking" krewe, the Laissez Boys.

Tucks float

Fellow bead whore Candace with signature decorated Tucks toilet brush

Big Easy Roller Girls

Endymion was big and bright and shiny and it was hard to get good pictures of their mammoth floats.

Sunday! This must have been Okeanos.

Mr. Bingle again, on a Krewe of Mid-City float

TARDIS on a Mid-City float! The theme of their parade was "Time."
However, it didn't seem like many folks on this float knew anything about the TARDIS or Dr. Who.

We left during Thoth, since I was feeling unwell, and the behavior of the dudes riding those floats was boorish to the extreme. My unwellness extended to missing Bacchus later that evening, which I am really sorry about. I still haven't seen a Bacchus parade! This was my first year for Iris and Tucks, and I really enjoyed both those parades on Saturday.

The reason I was downtown to watch Endymion as it was ending was because a friend had invited me to a king cake tasting at the Little Gem Saloon hosted by NOLA Eats and Propaganda New Orleans. That was a great time, although it was difficult to get there because of the parades. The judges chose my two favorites, La Dolce NOLA for their amaaaazing Nutella filled king cake (non-traditional), and Gerald's Donuts & Burgers for traditional. Definitely scratched that king cake itch, but I'm still sad that there can be no more until next year, on January 6, 2014.